


Love Binding

by ultramarineheart



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, oneshots from prompts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-11 23:51:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16862329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ultramarineheart/pseuds/ultramarineheart
Summary: A collection of Latte one-shots based on prompts. These will range from fluff to angst. Lance and Matt fall in and out of love. They find adventure and each other. They meet at the thin line of the tragedy that fate has left for them. Each chapter is a new story.





	1. One of the birds in the cage was my brother.

**Author's Note:**

> Deep Water Prompt #1006: One of the birds in the cage was my brother.  
> http://deepwaterwritingprompts.tumblr.com/post/175824446426/text-one-of-the-birds-in-the-cage-was-my-brother

Pidge yanked the servant’s door of the castle open. It had been abandoned for a decade by the royal family and turned into a mausoleum to house the body of Prince Lance, the great savior of Altea. Pidge had heard the story told in many ways, but never did she think she’d break in to seek shelter from the rain. Her body was tired, cut up, and bruised from running through the forest, but she willed herself to find a bed, or couch to sleep in first.

She clutched a birdcage close to her as she limped out of what looks like a kitchen, into a long hall. The birds inside the cage chirped wildly, still trying to get used to each other. She groaned when the first room she entered was the one that held the body of the Prince. He lay in a stone coffin lined in red velvet, it had no lid. She limped closer until she could see his face. His brown hair was still well groomed and swept across his forehead. His skin was smooth, it hasn't aged in the decades that he slept and his blue armor was in pristine condition. 

Pidge pressed her back against the coffin and slid to the ground in exhaustion. “I guess the story is true. He’s just… stuck in time, cursed to sleep for defeating Haggar.” Her eyelids felt heavy until they shut completely. Her snore echoed lightly through the room.

* * *

 

In the birdcage, a little brown bird rammed itself against the cage door. The other bird, a green one, tried to kick him away for ruining the cage that Pidge had built with care for him. When the door gave way, the green bird flew out and perched on Pidge’s cheek, nuzzling her cheek. The brown one flew over the body of the Prince. He jumped on the Prince’s face once or twice, testing to see if he was really asleep. Once he was satisfied, he pecked the Prince’s lips with his beak.

* * *

 

Pidge woke up to a loud screeching in her ear. At least it was one she was familiar with. “Rover, stop it!” She swatted the little green bird away and it flew from her shoulder to her knee. “Wait, Rover?” She looked to the birdcage next to her to find the door broken and the little brown bird was gone.

“Good, you’re awake. Coran and I would have moved you, but we were advised not to.”

Pidge turned her attention to the doorway and saw a tall man in blue armor, brown hair, and a smirk she would have liked to land a fist on. She scrambled to her feet and looked at the coffin behind her. It was empty. “You’re alive? Who’s Coran?”

“The… caretaker? The castle is too big for him to have heard you break in. I was cursed not dead. I thought I was like, a legend or something? You just thought I was dead?” Prince Lance frowned and slumped his shoulders forward. Something she would have laughed at if she weren’t missing a bird.

“Where’s my little brown bird? One of the birds in the cage was my brother!” She ruffled the hair on her head and pulled out of habit. Lance came forward and slapped her hands away. 

“Don’t do that!” He ended up wrestling her hands away from her head and holding her wrists in his hands. “It’s okay. Matt is in the dining room with Coran. They’re having breakfast which is why I came to get you.”

Pidge stared at him, trying to process all that had happened while she fell asleep. She let him lead her to the dining room where Matt sat with a man sporting a large mustache and fiery orange hair.

“We ran into the cave because of the rain and the dragon didn’t even want to eat us. He just decided to curse me because we got dirt on his ‘Welcome’ mat. He lives in a cave!” Matt waved his hands in the air wildly as he retold the story of how they came to the castle. “So of course we had to leave. He said only true love’s kiss can break the spell. I thought I could get away with giving a prince a peck. It worked!”

“Matt!” Pidge limped as fast as she could over to him and embraced him. She was grateful that Lance supported her by holding on to her arm as she dragged him along.

“Pidge! You need to try this goo Coran made!” He laughed and gripped her tightly between his arms.

“Yes, today we celebrate the return of Prince Lance and the future Prince Matt, or is it, Matthew?” Coran clasped his hands together and nearly leaped out of his seat in excitement. 

Pidge looked between Lance and Matt skeptically. “I guess true love’s kiss is binding.”

Lance placed his hands on his hips and looked over to Matt. “Yeah... not as binding as waking up to a naked man on top of you still chirping like a bird.”


	2. Dark Violet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Will you be my best man?" Lance asked and Matt thought it couldn't get any worse than this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: Maybe in another life, we could have been together.  
> http://promptsfordays.tumblr.com/post/166738004640/donnaatroy-almost-prompts-we-never-got-the

“Will you be my best man?” Lance asked, his blue eyes wide with hope as he bit the side of his lip. He looked anxious from what Matt could tell, but Matt was too floored to answer with a yes or no. He couldn’t have been serious. Two weeks ago Matt was holding Lance while he cried about how cold Keith was.

“Aren’t I already your best man?” He hoped the joke would lighten the mood. He brought the cup of coffee to his lips and sipped nervously. He was aware of his heart pounding in his chest, the clanking of dishes in their favorite cafe, and he wanted desperately for the moment to go away.

“No, Matt, I’m serious. Keith proposed! I mean it was spur of the moment so I don’t have a ring yet. We’re going to pick them out together.” Lance rubbed his naked ring finger. “I can’t do this without you. You introduced us after all. You know the things we’ve been through.”

That’s right, he was the one to introduce Keith and Lance. It was something he would regret for the rest of his life. He was dating Shiro at the time and it seemed natural to introduce Shiro’s little brother to his best friend. He was so blind to his own feelings then and when Shiro cheated on him, he took all the other man’s excuses as blessings. In the two years, they had been together Matt found himself wishing Shiro was more like Lance.

By then Lance and Keith had fallen in love, moved in together, and maybe if they were really happy, Matt could leave it alone. He just never believed they were. He spent countless nights on the phone with Lance, his ear pressed against the phone until it ached because Lance was crying and whispering all at once. He had come to pick Lance up when he packed to leave just to bring him back to Keith time and time again.

“Mattie?” Lance waved his hand in Matt’s face. “You spaced out on me, dude.”

“I’m just confused. You two have been fighting up until two weeks ago. Why the sudden change? Have you really thought this through? Remember you were sleeping in my guest room, like, two weeks ago?”

“So you’re not happy for me?” Lance asked and Matt could see Lance withdrawing into himself. This was what Keith did to him and it was something Lance complained about again and again. Keith was inconsiderate, he doesn’t know how to express himself, or he just has a hard time. The result was Lance carrying the relationship and slowly doubting himself and who he could trust. Matt didn’t think it was any easier on Keith to get so serious right now either.

“I’m… happy if you’re happy. I just want to make sure that you’re sure. It’s like you said, I know about… well, everything.”

“Keith is finally being honest about what he wants and I love him. I want this. Last night when he proposed and we made it, it felt like everything was different. He was gentle with his words… and the way he touched me…” Lance trailed off and had begun rubbing his naked finger again and then glancing at it like he could see a diamond that wasn’t there. 

He didn’t see Matt grimace at the thought of Keith touching Lance. Matt didn’t care to have the mental image in his head. It was worse because he realized he was wrong. Lance was happy, at least for the moment. “Sure, Lance, I’d love to be your best man.”

“Great! I was thinking you would look good in a dark violet. Super dark not like the Joker or anything!” Lance was suddenly his normal beaming self.

“You said I looked like an eggplant in purple,” Matt said.

“Yeah, but eggplants have big dick energy.”

“I don’t think that being the choice dick emoji is equal to having big dick energy. Have you ever seen a wilted eggplant?”

* * *

 

Three months later Lance settled on dark grey for the groomsmen and silver with blue accents for himself. He was adamant that he didn’t want to wear blue because he wore blue suits for work. Keith argued that it would bring Lance’s eyes out and it would look best. Matt had to grab the sample wedding cake from Lance’s hands so he wouldn’t hurl it at a nearby wall. He was thankful the two decided on a small wedding, but planning it in three months had them both on edge. It was decided that Lance would stay with Matt for the week before the wedding.

The ceremony was on the beach and the reception immediately followed which meant Hunk was busy making sure the preparations went off without a hitch. Matt had Lance duty since his friends thought he would be freaking out. When Matt found Lance by the beach snack bar, he was calm and slipping his cell phone into his pants pocket.

“Hey, what are you doing out here?” Matt asked as he approached the other man. Lance turned around to look at him, a sad look on his face.

“Got off the phone with my dad. He’s not coming. He doesn’t think Keith is McClain material.” Lance said and crossed his arms. “Would you give me away? You did introduce me and Keith. I think that would be fair.”

“I could… since Hunk is giving the best man speech.”  Matt shrugged and held his hand out to Lance. Instead, Lance hooked their arms together and they turned to walk toward the setup.

“Yeah, sorry about that. We’re only having one speech from each side.”

“It’s not your fault Keith keeps a small circle. It kinda suits him.”

“Do you think Keith is good enough for me?” Lance asked after a moment of silence. The question hung between them like the blade of a guillotine. It put Matt under more heat than the afternoon sun.

“I think what matters is you love him and he makes you happy. Do you want to wait to do this until your dad comes around? He should be here.”

“No, just… my dad said he already knows who his son-in-law should be.”

“I thought he liked Hunk and Shay together?”

“No!” Lance laughed and leaned into Matt. Matt smiled in the triumph of getting Lance to cheer up. Maybe it wouldn’t last, but it was enough. He could only ever do just enough. Lance would always be out of reach. “Before Keith, there was someone else I loved. I never had the courage to tell him no matter how many times my family told me to. By the time I found the strength he－you were already with Shiro and I thought maybe in another lifetime.”

_ This is it. Tell him so he won’t be making a mistake. Tell him you love him. _ The same thought ran through Matt’s head over and over. He could hear his heart beating and he opened his mouth, but Lance continued, “When I fell for Keith, it was different. I see a future with him. I just wish I could make my dad understand that. Keith and I have had problems, but look where we are now. And look at us, Matt. You’re giving me away and supporting me like the good friend you’ve always been. I love you for that. I don’t want it to change.”

They came to the end of the makeshift aisle. Matt saw pidge cue the music to start. That was a mistake. This was all a mistake. He wanted to run into the ocean and never resurface. Lance loved him, but he saw a future with Keith and Matt would have to accept that.

“I get it,” Matt said as they began to walk down the aisle. He had a few seconds left to relieve himself of a truth Lance would never see through. “I love you too, Lance.”

Then he stood aside and watched Lance pledge eternity to Keith. He kept an ever-present smile for cameras, but inside he broke with every word of their vows. There was nothing he could do to tune it out.  _ Maybe in another life, we could have been together. _


	3. Ghost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eight years later, Matt was ready to find Lance. Every time he picked up his phone he wanted to call Lance, tell Lance about his day, ask about Lance’s life. On several occasions, he would turn over to Lance’s side of the bed and believe he saw the other man there, but when he reached his arm around Lance, the man was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song Prompt: Someone New by BANKS

_ Selfish. There was nothing wrong with being selfish.  _ This was a recurring thought for Matthew Holt over the years. He did nothing wrong. Well, maybe three decades ago that would have been enough. He was only thirty then and a budding name in the world of academics. His opportunities seemed endless. Now he was sixty and his brown hair was graying, his ponytail had long been sacrificed for a clean cut, and his skin was pale and wrinkled.

He sat in a large leather chair, a glass of bourbon in one hand an old letter in the other.  They were last words of the greatest romance of his life which he foolishly pushed aside. Matt assumed the post of professor at the New Garrison University in Chicago five years ago and in all that time his students had come and gone with the newer ones paying less and less individual time with him. So it was a surprise when, earlier today after his lecture, a student came up to him. She had a dark complexion, brown hair, and blue eyes that struck him like a memory of a past life.

“Professor Holt, my name is Mariana McClain. Do you remember my father, Lance? He asked me to give this to you.” She pulled out a piece of paper from her folder. It contained an address in familiar writing, but nothing more. 

“Lance… I－. Thank you, Mariana, ” Matthew said and took the paper from her. He stared at it in disbelief and when he looked up, she had gone to catch up with her classmates. He felt like his heart finally woke up after thirty years of slumber and hopped straight into his throat.

When he returned home, he pulled that old letter from his desk drawer. The page was stained yellow with age and the ink had started to fade. This was that last letter Lance had written him before he left.

_ Matt, _

_ Five years we’ve been together and we could have made this work. I don’t know what possessed you to think to leave me like an earmarked chapter of your story, but I won’t wait for you. You don’t get to make this decision for me and tell me I need time away from you too. Here, have all the space you want. Please don’t look for me. Don’t love me. Forget me and everything we’ve ever had. _

_ Lance _

He compared the writing on the letter to the one on the paper with the address. There were tremors in on the newer paper that made the writing less clear, but essentially, they were the same. This was a cruel joke from life. Lance tells Matt to forget him only to turn around thirty years later and have his daughter reignite the memory.  _ I told you I would come back. Why didn’t you just wait for me, Lance? _

Matthew stood, folded both papers, and tucked them into his pocket. He made his way to the bedroom of his apartment and began to pack. It was a three-hour flight from where he was to the address in Florida. In the thirty years that past between them, Matthew never bought a house, never made a home, and without realizing it, he had been waiting for this moment.

* * *

Thirty Years Ago

“I don’t understand. You’re worked in Paris, England, and all over Latin America. We kept up long distance just fine. I don’t understand why you’re doing this now. Is it because we’ve been looking into adoption? We can wait, Matt. We don’t have to break up over it.” Lance ’s voice cracked from dehydration. He had been crying and screaming at Matt for the last hour. They had been together for five years and never had they fought so fiercely.

“I already tried to tell you, Lance. We were fine, but right now is not a good time for any attachments. My career is taking off in all different directions. We need to just stop and take some time to ourselves. I’m not saying that it’s over forever. I still love you.” Matt knew he was reciting the same reasons hs co-workers had told him was the reason for their break-ups, but he didn’t want Lance to be unhappy, waiting for him at home, and losing sight of his own career. It was true, they had made it work over long distances with minimal stress, but it was the possibility of resentment in the long run that nagged at Matt’s conscience.

“This is such bullshit! Just say you don’t want to be with me, Matt. Stop saying we’ll end up together. Stop saying you’ll come back. The last five years meant nothing? Now you’re just not ready to be together at all?” Lance placed his hands on his hips. His eyes were red and swollen. If the dining table didn’t separate them, Matt would have tried to comfort him. But how do you comfort someone while breaking their heart?

Matt’s cell phone rang, he pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. His father had texted him to come back to the office to go over their presentation for a conference the next day.

“Oh, go,” Lance said. “No reason this would be more important right now. Just know that if you go, Matt, there will be nothing to come back to.”

Matt winced. There was the resentment in the form of an ultimatum. Granted, he caused it this time, but over the years he was sure it would grow. He had to do what was right for them both. Lance turned, walked towards their bedroom, and slammed the door shut. Matt looked down at his phone one more time. Part of him thought Lance was right and he should tell his dad he was turning in for the night. He could crawl into their bed and kiss Lance’s tears away and apologize until Lance held him and fell asleep.

Instead, he grabbed his keys from the counter and headed out the door. When he returned all of Lance’s belongings were gone. Lance’s letter was waiting for him on the dining room table. Matt clenched his jaw as he read it. This wasn’t what he wanted, but eventually, he’d find Lance and make it right. He’d make Lance understand.

Eight years later, Matt was ready to find Lance. Every time he picked up his phone he wanted to call Lance, tell Lance about his day, ask about Lance’s life. On several occasions, he would turn over to Lance’s side of the bed and believe he saw the other man there, but when he reached his arm around Lance, the man was gone.

Lance had changed his number and never responded to any of Matt’s e-mails. Lance’s family refused to speak to Matt. He wondered if Lance missed him, missed sharing things, missed having him to say ‘I love you’ to. He found himself in an administrative position after they broke up. It gave him time to come home to silence and emptiness. Lance had been right all along. He didn’t need space and he’d do anything to share his space with Lance again.

The one curveball he never expected was for Lance to change his career going from a pilot to an internationally recognized painter. Matt had saved the stories of Lance’s travels and when his works showed up in museums, but he could never pinpoint where he could meet with him. Desperate, he turned to Pidge and Hunk although he never wanted to put them in the middle of his relationship problems. Lance was their best friend and Pidge was his sister. He hated pulling on the loyalty card.

“He doesn’t want to see you and I’m staying out of it,” Pidge said and took a large bite of pizza. It was a bribe from Matt to put them in good spirits, but it didn’t seem to work.

“I’m not saying anything either,” Hunk said as he sprinkled more cheese on his slice. “I mean, you should respect his wishes, Matt. He hasn’t talked to you in eight years. You let him go so he went.”

“Can one of you at least tell me why he stopped being a pilot? I thought he wanted to break records not paint a landscape.” Matt asked.

He noticed Pidge stopped eating, placed her pizza down on her plate, and looked away. He had never seen her shut down so fast. Was it his fault? Did he cause strain between Pidge and Lance so they could no longer work together as navigator and pilot?

“Uh… He just wanted a change. He wanted to be able to work anywhere. You understand that, right? You can practically work anywhere as a scientist and researcher.” Hunk said. Matt didn’t miss the way Hunk reached over and stroked Pidge’s back as if to comfort her or the jab at his decision to end things with Lance.

Finally, he accepted Lance’s wishes and focused on his career again. Two years afterward Lance seemed to have stopped painting and disappeared completely. The only articles written about him was about where his art would be displayed next. There was no new work and he never came out to meet fans anymore. Matt had no hope left to hold on to and so he told himself repeatedly that he did the right thing.  _ There was nothing wrong with being selfish. _

* * *

Present Day

Lance was living in Florida, in a small, one-story house by the beach. He could afford more, but he lived alone and he needed everything to be more accessible due to his bad hip. Nearly thirty years ago, not long after Matthew left him, Lance was ambushed in his hangar by another pilot and his navigator. The pilot accused Pidge of taking remote control of his aircraft and sending him in circles during a drill. Lance stood up for her, knowing that the pilot had previously tried to ask her out and didn’t know how to take no for an answer. The pilot beat him with a metal bat, injuring his legs, ribs, and right hip while the navigator stood watch so he wouldn’t be interrupted.

It ended his career as a pilot and for a while strained his relationship with Pidge. He never blamed her for what someone else did to him, but it was a long time before she could forgive herself. Lance’s mentor, Shiro, told him to let the Garrison take cake of him and to focus on healing. His pension only went so far.

He became a painter during his recovery. His first works were paintings of Matt, hoping he’d come up out of the blue and they would be together again. He held that thought as he took on the grueling task of learning to walk again. Every time he fell, he remembered that Matt didn’t care. Matt had left him with a hand full of excuses and Lance was left to deal with his recovery with no support from Matt. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

He eventually was able to walk, but still needed a cane. When he was still young, it looked like a style choice. Now the old injury was harder to disguise and it ached with age. He eventually got married, divorced, and stopped painting to raise his daughter as a single father. As long as people still wanted to see his older work, he would still be making revenue.

For years, he kept tabs with Matt’s work, still trying to figure out what could drive the other man to throw away their relationship. He knew Matt asked about him, but his anger kept him from wanting to see Matt again. When his daughter coincidentally decided on the New Garrison University, Lance decided he had enough. Forgiveness was never his strong suit, but his pride would allow him to at least extend an olive branch.

Mariana was skeptical of his plan. She told him she didn't want to see him hurt again just like after her mother left them, but he reassured her that he could handle it. “I need to know if he loves me, Mari,” he said to her. “Because I still love him even after everything he’s done.”

He was fifty-eight and finally honest with himself. He should have looked for Matt sooner. The direction his life took proved to him that Matt was wrong. They didn’t need space, but Lance needed to know the feeling was mutual. He wanted Matt to come to him.

An urgent knock on the door drew his attention from his dishes. Lance turned off the water, dried his hands on a dish towel before grabbing his cane, making sure the golden head of the black cane was secure in his grasp and walked over to open the door. On the other side was an older man with grey and brown hair in a brown suit. His hazel eyes looked nervously at Lance and he rubbed his hands together.

“Lance?” the man asked. Lance did look older with a few wrinkles around his eyes, but nothing so far from his youth that he couldn't be recognized.

“You're late, Matt,” Lance said and opened the door wider and stepped aside for Matt to come in. It wasn't that Lance was expecting him at this moment, but some part of him had been waiting for Matt for a long time, hoping he didn't give up on them. 

“I－” Matt started as he walked hesitantly into the house. “I got a little lost on my way back. I'm sorry. I never should have left. You were right all this time and I love you, Lance. I’ve never loved or wanted anyone else.”

There they were, the words Lance always wanted to hear. He gently pulled Matt into a chaste kiss and pressed their foreheads together. He felt the other man's hands circle around his waist, the welcome touch of a ghost returned to life. As Lance brushed away Matt’s tears and his own, he could only think of the words he said when they moved into their first apartment together and collapsed onto the living room floor, tired from unpacking.

“Welcome home, Mattie.”


	4. Love Binding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a very compromised Cupid and the reason his assignment, Matt, can't seem to find true love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Deep Water Prompt #1218  
> “A lot of people are born from the sea foam. Aphrodite wasn’t special.”  
> http://deepwaterwritingprompts.tumblr.com/post/179727415303/deep-water-prompt-1218

“Matthew, we need to talk.”

Matt hated those words. He hated when people used his first name when they were serious. He hated that he had heard these words in his last three relationships. A total of five years flushed themselves down the drain. He was starting to wonder if it was his fault. If there was something wrong with him that made him a good pit stop for a couple years.

Maybe it was because of the fact that he liked his men with an edge. When he met Keith he was still a dork with glasses. He just started working as a lab assistant and a few of his friends had taken him out for a drink to celebrate. Keith was behind the bar when Matt wandered away from the group and tried to order a water from him.

“Water? You’re a good time. Anyway, the bartender just quit so come back and get it yourself,” he said. He was wearing a red tank top with his name tag still tacked on.

“Alright…” Matt said and made a point to lean forward and squint at the text on the tag, “Keith, is it?”

Keith clicked his tongue and reached up to remove the nametag. Matt noticed he wore a fingerless glove on one hand and the other was bare. He couldn’t figure out what kind of fashion statement Keith was making. Was it a tease? Does Keith slowly remove his gloves to show off his smooth palms with long, elegant fingers that were perfect for caressing－ _ No, Matt! You’re drunk! _

Keith tossed the tag on the counter and poured Matt a cup of water. “Here, thanks for pointing that out. See ya,” he said and slipped another glove over his bare hand. Matthew downed the small cup of water and took a deep breath. 

_ I’m still drunk enough to go for it. _ He turned around, pushed his glasses up, and ran after Keith. His appearance was deceiving because Matt was very good with words. The pair dated for a year before moving in together. It was Keith who taught Matt how to ride and fix a motorcycle. Matt had given him stability to hold on to. At least that’s what Keith had said but after two years of being together, Keith had enough.

“Matthew, we need to talk. I’m leaving you,” Keith said. He had a backpack slung over his shoulder and his helmet under his arm. Matt was distraught and even more confused by the explanation that followed. “I love having something stable in my life for once, but it’s been… well, boring.”

Swordplay was one of Keith’s hobbies. He was a double wielder and today he held stability in one hand, boredom in the other, and the combined force sliced through their relationship like butter. Matt begged him to stay, but no amount of ‘I love you’s could deter Keith. Sometimes Matt didn’t have the words he needed.

Sometimes Matt had no words at all and he hung onto anger as if his life depended on it.  Six months later Matt met Shiro. He wasn’t as edgy as Keith, but there was more than enough muscle to make up for that. Matt and Shiro actually planned their future. It was something Shiro always brought up.

“I worked hard so that I could retire early, support my family, and I’ve done that, but I want to share my life with someone. We could travel, pick a place overseas, and get married. What do you think?” Shiro had asked him one day over lunch. “Not that I’m proposing, not like this.”

“A wedding overseas sounds good. Do you think we could fly all of our loved ones out? Isn’t that expensive?” Matt said a smirk played on his lips. He loved to tease Shiro because he didn’t have the heart to tell Shiro that he came off like a lonely sugar daddy. If Matt wanted to start an original business he would pack Shiro’s wardrobe into small packages and ship them out as sugar daddy starter kits.

In retrospect, he should have done that when Shiro decided to leave him. Matt was hesitant to move in with Shiro due to his experience with Keith. He and Shiro had been together for two years and he still felt like it was too soon. He was still head-over-heels in love with Shiro and that should have been enough, but of course, it wasn’t.

“Matthew, we need to talk. I don’t think you’re taking this relationship very seriously. I want to be with someone who is on the same page and willing to pick up, move, and experience things will me. You won’t even move in with me!” Shiro looked at him sadly, but his body language betrayed something different: finality. Matt felt like he was being called in to talk to his boss who had just fired him. Nonetheless, he agreed because what Shiro had asked for was for Matt to give up the life he built and it wasn’t a sacrifice he was willing to make.

He didn’t expect, however, that within a week Shiro was halfway across the world with Keith. The rolling stone and the sugar daddy found each other and Keith even captioned one of their photos:

I messaged this man after I saw him in a picture with one of my exes. They were dating, whoops. Love works in mysterious ways.

_ Mysterious, my ass. It’s called cheating.  _ Matt was livid in the beginning and then he hit the gym, got his eyesight corrected, and put more effort into his appearance.  _ If I like edgy, I should be that and not chase it. The right person can come to me. _

Love did find him again, in the form of a beautiful woman with long silvery hair. Her name was Allura and it did not do her justice. Their personalities seemed to fit together a little too perfectly. Their relationship only lasted a year and although it wasn’t as serious as his last two relationships, it was still time lost.

“Matthew, we need to talk. The truth is, I like edgy men and I’ve found someone else. He’s waiting outside for me. I’m so sorry,” she said, got up from her chair, and left the restaurant they where they met. Matthew leaned back in his chair to take a peek at the man from one of the large windows. He was tall, well dressed in a suit and tie, and had the softest looking silver hair Matt had ever seen.  _ Damn, girl. I get it. _

* * *

 

Lance was watching Matt from the corner of the restaurant., wondering why he thought Allura would make a good match for Matt. When two people are too much alike, it usually pushes them apart. That was Cupid Training 101. Every Cupid is assigned one person to find love for, but Lance was finding that dealing with Matt wasn’t going to be easy. In every aspect, he was a desirable mate, but he wasn’t the only one. 

Cupids often conspired against one another. For example, his best friend, Hunk, was the Cupid responsible for bringing his assignment, Keith, and Shiro together. Lance could have been mad at that fact, but comforting Hunk came first. Some Cupids were created with a defect in which they are love bound to whoever they were assigned to. It was Cupid’s version of soul mates, but the person that a Cupid is love bound to gets the only say in whether or not they want to fall in love with their Cupid. Hunk, not wanting to risk the rejection, took the opportunity to make Shiro and Keith’s paths cross.

Lance was love bound to Matt and he tried to take his job seriously, but now he wondered if it was his love that stopped him from finding a proper match for Matt. Lance had too much pride to admit he wasn’t strong enough to see Matt with someone else, but he didn’t have too much pride to admit that it hurt him to see Matt hurt.

Lance picked up his coffee cup and walked over to Matt’s table, taking a seat across from him. Matt looked up at him like he was crazy, but Lance sat silently for a moment, inhaled slowly, and reached the table to touch Matt’s hand. “Get your shit together, man. You’re hot, you’ll find someone else.”

“You think I’m hot?” Matt asked, immediately perking up and smiling at Lance.

“No, no, no, don’t find me. Okay, I’m going to be honest with you here, I’m your Cupid. It’s like a guardian angel for love and I am so tired of you.”

“Oh, great. Now a crazy person is breaking up with me too.”

“I can’t break up with you. You’re my assignment for the rest of my life. Now we need to brainstorm how to get you some better partners because I’m running out of ideas.”

“Yeah… I’m leaving.” Matt stood up and grabbed his jacket from the chair. 

“Wait, look!” In a panic, Lance grabbed a butter knife and stabbed it into the palm of his hand. Then he removed the knife and his hand began to foam on both sides. He wiped the foam away and his hand was healed. “See? Not human!”

* * *

 

Matt slowly sat back down in his chair and picked up the butter knife to examine it. He quickly grabbed the other man’s hand and examined it before placing it back on the table and stabbing the knife through the hand once more. The other man didn’t even make a peep, but the result was the same. His hand foamed and healed. “What the hell are you made of?”

“Seafoam. A lot of people are born from the sea foam. Aphrodite wasn’t special,” he answered as he stirred sugar into his coffee and took a drink. “My name is Lance, by the way. You’re Matt, I know that because, again, I’m your Cupid.”

Matt slumped back in his chair and covered his hands with his face.  _ This is not happening. Cupid isn’t real, right?  _ He dragged his hands down his face and really looked at Lance for the first time. He was a fit man with dark skin and blue eyes. He wore shorts, a blue tank top, and a black bomber jacket that matched the black studs in his earlobes.  _ Why is my Cupid a soft frat boy? _

“Okay, Lance,” Matt said finally. “So let’s say you’re my Cupid, what were your criteria in picking my partners?”

“Usually, we have algorithms that let us know when a compatible partner is nearby and we make it so you can meet. Everyone is thoroughly vetted. We have that technology. We call it Love Magic,” he laughed and wiggled his fingers.

“That tells me nothing. So of the people I dated, were there others around who would have been more compatible?”

Lance leaned back and was silent for a moment longer than Matt liked. Finally, he answered, “Yes, but it’s not like you didn’t learn from those experiences. Maybe now you actually understand how to properly make use of tall, muscular, and wealthy men.”

“So you’re just… literally not doing your job. Is that part of the manual to teach us humans lessons so we deserve who we end up with?”

“No, it’s not like that. I just have… let’s just say I’m a rare type of Cupid. I’m kind of cursed.”

“You’re cursed? Am I being affected?”

“No, I was born with something called a Love Bind. It means I am destined to be in love with whoever is assigned to me. It’s rare, but it makes my job harder. I have no choice in the matter and I used to think maybe it as just because you’re cute or there’s no explanation at all to the emotion. I know why I love you, but I already lost the chance for it to be organic. You’re the only one with a choice in this, but you understand why I can’t be with you, right?”

Matt was shocked to his core. He barely registered the waitress clearing the table or Lance reaching over to take care of the bill. Here was someone who loved him unconditionally and forever, something he always wanted. On the other hand, didn’t want to take advantage of Lance who had been so completely honest with him.

“Yeah, I understand. I mean, I just met you so I can’t really return those feelings. Let’s talk about our game plan. I think progress reports are a good idea,” Matt said, a soft smile gracing his lips. He pretended not to notice when Lance held his hand and squeezed it in relief.

“You should date casually. None of this exclusive stuff until you’re sure. I’ll check in on you after every date.”  
“Fine by me, love angel, but send the most compatible ones my way.”

* * *

 

Two months into their game plan, Matt was ready to call it quits. The only reason he didn’t was that it kept Lance coming back and it kept the disappointment bearable. Apparently, the people who were most compatible with him were the ones who refused to commit in the long run without some grand gesture that would convince them otherwise.

That wasn’t his style, but he wouldn’t argue that it was something he liked, much like how Lance had confessed to him. Over those two months, Lance would visit him after every date when it was disappointing or good. They talked for hours, played video games, and sometimes fell asleep together on the couch.

There were days when there were no dates and Lance didn’t come by. He would be nose deep in work until he fell asleep on a pile of papers or his laptop and wake up to a blanket over his shoulders and a fresh pot of coffee made. He never brought it up, but he had started baking brownies covered in powdered sugar, Lance’s favorite treat, and leaving them out to “cool”. When he returned to check on them, half would be gone.

A snowstorm kept Matt away from his family on Christmas day, but Lance had come to keep him company. They ate dinner together and curled up under the blanket Lance gave him as a gift to watch Love Actually. Matt had given him sweatpants with the words “Love Angel” in glitter on the back.

“Lance, if you could stop loving me, would you like to?” Matt asked suddenly. He felt Lance shift uncomfortably in the blanket until his legs were crossed and he was sitting straight.

“No, I don’t think I would. You’re smart, gentle, kind, and resilient. I could have been bound to love a serial killer, but instead, I have you. Why would I change that?”

“To give yourself a choice. I mean, isn’t that what you wanted all this time?”

“I think in a way, I already made my choice. These past two months grounded that reality for me. Unless you’re planning to stop baking me those brownies. You’re lucky I leave you any,” Lance said and bumped into him playfully. Matt could see the sadness in his eyes mixed with fear of rejection.

“If I said I feel the same way would you think I was lying?” Matt reached for Lance’s hand under the blanket, giving it two squeezes. One for comfort and another for ‘please stay’.

“I want to take it slow. If we do this, I’ll become human. You have to be careful not to stab me with a butter knife,” Lance sighed and pressed his forehead to Matt’s forehead.

“I’ll do my best, love angel,” Matt said, leaning in and capturing Lance’s lips. Their love was born of seafoam, solidified over winter, and Matt was happy to spend the rest of his life proving his love to Lance.


	5. Hello, my name is...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There were so many things the little robot wanted to tell his creator.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: He was, for the most part, solar powered.
> 
> http://deepwaterwritingprompts.tumblr.com/post/156411400114/odd-prompts-for-odd-stories-text-he-was-for-the

When he opened his eyes, the first sight he saw was a giant of a man with round glasses over his hazel eyes. His long, brown hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and he wore a white button-up shirt and brown pants. The man lifted him up and placed him on his feet.

“Hello, my name is Matthew Holt and you’re a little robot. I just created you,” said Matthew. The robot looked down at his arms, then his torso, and finally his legs. He ran around in a circle, tripped, and slowly propped himself on to his knees.

“Look, I’ll let you choose your name,” Matthew said and placed a book down in front of the small robot. “This is a book of baby names. I got it from a neighbor who just gave birth to her own child. I haven’t gotten your voice box working yet, but maybe by the time I do, you’ll have a name.”

The robot looked around. A name wasn’t his first priority, but he wanted to find out why everything was so big. He found a twelve-inch ruler, it was a short jogging distance from him, and dragged it as close as he could to his creator. Then he laid down next to it, making sure he was as straight as can be.

“Oh, you want to know how big you are? You’re only about six inches high.” Matthew picked up the ruler and placed it back where it was previously. The robot ran closer to Matthew and came to a ledge, Several feet separated his body from the ground, but it would likely damage him.

A quick internal checkup informed the robot that he was, for the most part, solar powered. He had a battery that would charge in the sun before being placed into the compartment in his back. He was made from copper, and his purpose was to catalog Matthew’s day because, for the last month, the man had been followed.

The robot then walked over to the big book of baby names and tried to flip through the book which proved to be too heavy for him. Matthew pulled a chair over, the sound of wood scratching against wood rang through the robot’s ears. Matthew sat down, picked up the robot, and placed the robot on his shoulder before starting to flip through the pages of the book.

“Adrian...is this you? How about Bradley? Or Catherine?” Matthew asked as he flipped through the pages and the robot’s eyes quickly followed as he scanned the names. Each time he gave Matthew a tap on the shoulder to turn the page when he was unsatisfied. Matthew began to fall asleep and the robot fell off his shoulder and landed on the table.

“Alright, I’m going to sleep, little guy. I’ll catch up with you in the morning.” Matthew turned off the gas lamp, walked across the small room, unlaced his brown boots and climbed into his bed. The robot waited until he heard the soft sound of his creator’s snore to turn the gas lamp back on. After a few tries, he was able to get it working and he continued to look through the names. The pages were easier to move than the hardcover of the book. 

A few hours later, sunrise peaked through the thinly curtained windows and hit gently warmed the table with its rays. The robot turned off the gas lamp and sat down in one of the rays with his back facing the window. He raised the little panel covering his battery and allowed it to charge. He could feel his energy diminishing and he would need it in a few hours to do what he had been created to do.

* * *

 “Did you decide on a name?” Matthew asked a few hours later when the robot was fully charged and had awoken. The little robot shook his head and got to his feet, but Matthew pushed him back into a sitting position with his finger. “Not yet, I’m going to see if I can get that voice box working. Then we’re going to the university to help Professor Lotor with his research.”

Matthew picked up a few small tools, opened the small panel at the robot throat, and, although the robot could not see what his creator was doing, he imagined his actions with each clinking of the tools. He studied his creator, their small and shabby room, and how this had been his world. Now it was going to expand. He wanted to ask who Professor Lotor was, what research they were doing, or even to say ‘Hello’ for the first time.

“We’re in England under the reign of the great Queen Victoria,” Matthew said as if sensing the robot’s questions. “Professor Lotor and I have been researching solar power as a replacement of steam power. So far we haven’t been able to do much. You’re solar powered, but the reason you’re so small is that I haven’t figured out how to power a bigger body. Can you try speaking?”

The robot opened his mouth and tried to squeeze and squeeze the sound from his throat.  _ Hello. Hello? Matthew? _ But no sound came and he shook his head. He was determined that one day it would come. Matthew just smiled gently and closed his throat panel. He gently picked the robot up and placed the robot on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, little one. I’ll get it right.”

They navigated out of the shabby room Mattew had rented from an elderly man by the name of Coran. His niece Allura often came to check up on him often in his old age. She ran a whimsical hat shop, a legacy from her father. The little robot overheard their conversation as he and Matthew were exiting. Something along the lines of not carrying too many heavy things.

The city was huge and bustling. There was water on the ground, slowly drying from the rain, and the robot was almost glad he didn’t have a sense of smell. Often he would see people waving at a scent in the air with a hat or handkerchief. The university was, in his point of view, grander than the city, but smaller. Matthew had walked them both to a small lab which was larger than his own room. The robot thought his creator should have lived here instead.

There was a tall man with long silver hair who came to greet him. The robot was not impressed by the man. If a robot’s intuition were real, he would say there were red flags. However, the man was nice to Matthew and the robot had no grounds for his suspicions. Perhaps jealousy could explain it, his creator was his whole world.

“Hello, Matthew,” Professor Lotor said and clapped his hand on Matthew’s back. “Who is this little one with you?”

“This is my little robot. He’s going to catalog what I do throughout the day. I'm worried Zarkon's men have been following me the same way they have been following my father before he－well, you know.” Matthew replied and the little robot reached up to touch his creator's cheek. It was a comforting gesture, but one he thought perhaps he was too small to make it effective. So then he gave Matthew’s gigantic cheeks a few aggressive pats, hoping they would make the equivalent of larger, gentle human pats. He supposed, however, that it just looked like he was an ant attacking a giant.

“I understand. You may resume your work, I’ll return to check on you in a few hours,” the Professor said and exited the room. Matthew walked over to his work table and placed the robot down. Grabbing his tools, he began to work on a large, metal box, which was at least as tall as seven of the robots stacked on top of each other. Matthew called it a solar power generator and if he was able to get it to work he’d be almost as good of an inventor as his father.

The little robot’s job was to take rapid pictures of his surroundings which Matthew would go over at the end of the night. This was a job he took seriously and while Matthew worked, the robot would turn to face the doors and windows working as a lookout. He also took pictures when they traveled through the city. The robot was able to capture images of several people following Matthew, but he wouldn’t be able to make sense of it.

One week later, Matthew took the time to explain it to him. He had a few different copies of pictures displayed on the table and pointed to each as he spoke. “This smaller man who looks like me, that’s my sibling, Pidge. I don’t know when they started following me, but I think they must have found out something about our father and they have the same suspicions I do.” Matthew then pointed to the pictures of several well-dressed, large men. “These are Zarkon’s men. If anything happens to me, you have to find Pidge. Do you understand?”

The little robot nodded his head and, after a moment of contemplation, he took the picture in which Pidge’s face and height were most apparent and propped it up against some of Matthew’s jars of pens. He struggled to balance picking up one of the pens and drew a heart next to Pidge’s face.

“Good job,” Matthew said and rubbed the robot’s head. 

Most days were the same, Matthew would wake up, work on the robot’s voice box, head to the university to work on the generator, come home to review the pictures, and then sleep. While his creator slept, the little robot would go through the name book, still unsatisfied with his results. He would let his battery charge from sunrise until Matthew woke him up and their day would start again.

Another week passed by before something happened. Matthew had finished his generator which Professor Lotor would fund for mass production and give Matthew full credit. That night when they arrived home, they were ambushed. Zarkon’s men attacked Matthew, punching and kicking him until he crumpled to the floor and dragged him out. The men didn’t even notice the little robot hitch a ride on one of their pant cuffs. He jumped off by the desk when he noticed a hand on the ground. The robot ran around the desk to find the landlord, Coran, had been knocked unconscious.

When he ran back around, the men had taken Matthew away. The little robot climbed a curtain up to the windowsill and found two figures approaching the house. One was Allura, Coran’s niece, and the other was a smaller person who was nearly identical to Matthew. It was Pidge! The little robot jumped up and down at the window to get their attention. When it didn’t work, he slid down the curtain and rammed his little body against the front door. It was only open a crack and with some effort, the robot got it to swing open completely.

When the two rushed to see who was at the door, they found the robot waving and pointing to where Coran was lying. Pidge picked up the robot and Allura ran to her Uncle’s aid.

“He’s unconscious. I need to take him to a hospital!” Allura said as she lifted Coran’s head into her lap. “Find your brother, I’ll call for help.”

Pidge ran into Matthew’s room and the robot pulled on their earlobe and pointed to some pictures in the trash bin. Pidge picked them out and look at them for a moment before standing up. “Alright, little guy, I got you. I didn’t think Matthew would finish the generator so quickly, but I think I know where they took him.”

Pidge tucked the robot into their coat pocket where he held on to the edge and poked his tiny head out to see where they were going. Pidge ran out to the street and flagged down a cab. The ride was about twenty minutes from the robot’s calculation and then they were dropped off at the edge of the woods where a small light peaked through the trees.  _ Matthew, there are things I need to say to you. Please hold on. _

Pidge slinked through the woods quietly and came upon a small cabin. They hid under a window where they could see three figures through the thin curtain.

“Did you get the robot? It has picture proof that we took Matthew,” said a familiar voice.

“No, Boss, we can go back and check,” said a smaller voice.

“Kill him first and then take care of the robot,” the first voice said. Someone then exited the cabin. The robot could not believe his eyes. It was the Professor. He turned to look up and Pidge whose entire body shook and saw the anger on their face. They were biting their lip to keep quiet. When the motor car that came for Lotor left, Pidge stood up and charged into the cabin, screaming wildly, and threw the robot at one of the men inside. The robot knew this was the exact lack of a plan, but he fought anyway, kicking his metal legs through one of the men’s eyes. The man screamed, grabbed the robot, and tossed him to the floor. As he flew to the ground he saw Pidge hit the other man with a fire poked until he fell and ran to untie Matthew who had witnessed the robot kick in one of his assailant’s eyeballs. Then the robot hit the ground and then came darkness.

* * *

“ See? This is how you fix the voice box. I wondered how you got that generator working so quickly without my help, Matthew,” said a high pitched voice. The small robot was coming to and to him, everything was far too loud.

“It’s a shame we have to leave it,” a gentler voice replied. The robot blinked his eyes open and saw two Matthews in front of him. No, the smaller one was Pidge, that’s right. Matthew was speaking to him now. “He knocked the battery out of you, little guy. It’s good to have you back. Pidge fixed your voice box. Try to speak now.”

The robot touched his throat first, and by looking down on his body, he could see the fight had left him with a few dents in his legs and torso. He planted his hands on the ground and boosted himself into a standing position. He took a few cautious steps toward the two humans which turned out to produce a slight limp in his left leg.

“Hell－Hello?” He began and placed his hand to his chest. He could speak and now he could tell his creator the words he always wanted to say. “It’s nice… to… meet you, Matthew. My name… is Lance.”

  
  



End file.
